Fr. Noel was born Emmanuel Flores Zamora on April 30, 1977 at his family’s ancestral home in Salapungan, Angeles City, Pampanga, Philippines. The firstborn of the five children of Amelita de Guzman Flores (born 1950) and Jose Manuel Soriano Zamora (born 1947), he grew up in the small barangay of Salapungan with his brothers and sisters: Emir (1979-1979), Ivy (born 1981), Kathreen Kay (born 1986), and Ivan-Lee (born 1991). He was educated in Catholic schools all his life: grade school (1983-1990) and high school (1990-1994) at Holy Angel University in Angeles City, and college at Ateneo de Manila University in Quezon City where he graduated Bachelor of Arts in Communication in 1998 with honorable mention.